West Row War Memorial, Mildenhall, Suffolk

Summary

First World War memorial, 1919, with Second World War additions. It was designed and manufactured by Messrs HG Neville and Sons of Mildenhall.

The late-C20 concrete fence posts, chain link fence and concrete kerbing which enclose the war memorial are not of special interest and are therefore excluded from the listing.

Description

First World War memorial, 1919, with Second World War additions. It was designed and manufactured by Messrs HG Neville and Sons of Mildenhall.

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: West Row War Memorial stands in a prominent position on Church Green, a triangular-shaped area of grassland immediately to the east of the Church of St Peter (unlisted), at the junction between Church Road and Church Lane.

The memorial, which stands some 3.2m high, takes the form of an obelisk with a three-stepped plinth set upon a broad square base.

The north faces of the plinth's upper two steps bears the First World War dedicatory inscription in incised black painted lettering and reads: THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED / IN GRATEFUL AND LOVING / MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS / VILLAGE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR KING AND COUNTRY / IN THE GREAT WAR, / 1914 - 1919. (top step) and GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, / THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS / FRIENDS (John 15:13) (middle step). Beneath, also on the middle step, is the Second World War dedication which reads: ALSO IN MEMORY OF / THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE / SECOND WORLD WAR 1939 - 1945. Inscribed on the face of the bottom step are the names of 8 parishioners who died during the Second World War, while a further name is inscribed on the foundation stone as a later addition.

Inscribed on the remaining three sides of the plinth are the names of the 35 local men who died in the First World War, along with the words: SIDE BY SIDE WE FOUGHT TOGETHER, / THROUGH THE CONFLICTS FIERCE AND LONG, / FOR THE CAUSE OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE / AND THE DEAR ONES LEFT AT HOME. (east side) and NOBLY THEY DID THEIR DUTY, BRAVELY THEY FOUGHT AND FELL / AND THE SORROW OF THOSE WHO LOVED THEM, / IS OURS TODAY AS WELL. (west side). The names, except the later addition, are arranged alphabetically by surname, listing ranks, regiments and decorations were applicable.

The war memorial stands within a gravelled area enclosed by a concrete kerb and a chain link fence supported by concrete fence posts, all of late-C20 date. As these features are not integral to the memorial's original design they are not of special interest and are therefore excluded from the listing.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of war memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at West Row in Suffolk as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the 35 men of the parish who lost their lives during the conflict. It was designed by Messrs HG Neville and Son of Mildenhall and was unveiled on 8 May 1919 by Lieutenant Francis Jaggard MC, a local officer who served through the war.

The memorial was originally enclosed by ornamental iron railings manufactured by Messrs WJ Ford and Sons of West Row. However, these were removed during the Second World War as part of the war effort, and subsequently replaced by a chain link fence in the late C20. The total cost of the memorial was £90, which was paid for by public subscription.

Following the Second World War a dedication was added to commemorate the nine parishioners who fell in that conflict.

In 2018 the memorial was cleaned and the names and dedications repainted.

Reasons for Listing

West Row War Memorial, erected in 1919, with Second World War additions, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it made in the conflicts of the C20.

Architectural interest:

* as an accomplished and well-realised war memorial which takes the form of a simple obelisk atop a three-stepped plinth.

Group value:

* with the neighbouring C19 Church of St Peter (unlisted).

External Links

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